Tomato Pasta #11 | Economy Vegetable Curry

A dish that's perfect for January

At first glance, you might accuse this dish of looking a bit boggy.

But then, all the best tasting things do, right?!

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This week has been a trial: the first full week of January, the first full week of work and school, and (in the UK at least) properly cold and wet/windy/snowy weather for the first time in a while. I began it quite refreshed and pumped to crack on. I end it depleted, having achieved only a fraction of what I had planned.

One positive result, though, has been this vegetable curry. Which twice proved a relatively quick, totally straightforward, and extremely tasty solution to weeknight family eating. And so it’s perfect for sharing here in this ‘Tomato Pasta’ column.

The dish is inspired by, but not fully authentic to, the kind of vegetable curry/stew you might find at a Singaporean Economy Rice hawker stand. Key elements are lemongrass, ginger, curry powder, potatoes and copious amounts of gravy — enough liquid for it to be virtually soup-like. It’s mild and sweet, so there’s a good chance everyone in the house will enjoy it.

In this version I include shrimp paste, which (I think) moves it towards the Nyonya side of Singaporean cuisine. And on the vegetable front, it’s staffed by British fridge drawer favourites: broccoli, carrots, potatoes, fine green beans, and some brussels sprouts. Some, but not all of which are typical of the origin dish. Then again, as well as hawker-esque, it feels a home-style dish. So hopefully using vegetables that are close to hand and unfussy is in keeping with the spirit of the meal.

Do try it: economical, tasty, and warming are appealing qualities right now (and always?).

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A couple of cook’s notes:

• You can omit the fermented shrimp paste if you don’t have it (most Asian supermarkets and plenty of online sources stock a host of jars), or if your extraction isn’t effective (while cooking, the paste adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the atmosphere).

• I’ve made it with both homemade chicken stock and ‘stock’ from a cube. Marginal preference for the ‘proper’ stuff. But actually a decent stock cube is fine (as the shrimp paste and coconut milk provided layers of flavour and a little viscosity). In fact, using one of those from your store cupboard is more in keeping with the dish than specifically buying stock from a shop, or not making the dish at all.

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Thanks for reading. These monthly Tomato Pasta columns are currently open to all (although they slip into the Archive after couple of weeks). Same goes for the Supplemental recipe round-up. Access to the aforementioned Archive, plus the other columns published on rotation (In The Centre; On The Side; and Good Things), is restricted to the paid subscriber community.

Give yourself a little new year gift and join us?

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Economy Vegetable Curry

Serves 4-6

1 large shallot or small onion, peeled and quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

25g ginger, peeled

1 stalk lemongrass, thinnest green quarter trimmed and reserved, remainder roughly chopped

1 mild-medium red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp mild curry powder

1 tbsp shrimp paste

1 tbsp caster sugar

200g carrots, peeled and in 2cm discs chunks

350-400g potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks

700ml chicken stock (a decent stock cube is fine)

400ml coconut milk - light not creamy, so less than 50% coconut solids

2-3 tsp light soy sauce (to taste)

120g fine green beans, topped, tailed and cut in two

150g brocolli florets

100g brussels sprouts, shredded

Plus plain rice and/or cook from frozen paratha

1. Put the onion, garlic, ginger, the white parts of the lemongrass, the chilli and 2 tablespoons of oil in a blender. Blitz to a smooth paste.

2. Set a medium-large saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the final tablespoon of oil, warm for 30 seconds, then the aromatic paste, curry powder, shrimp paste and sugar. Mix thoroughly to combine the elements, and cook this for around 7-8 minutes until darkened and glossy. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t catch on the base.

3. Meanwhile, if you need to, dissolve the stock cube in 700ml of just-boiled water.

4. Add the potatoes and carrot to the spice paste and mix until the vegetables are coated. Now pour 100ml or so of stock into the saucepan. This should bubble and begin to deglaze the base. Mix, so the paste dissolves into the liquid, then add the rest of the stock, plus that remaining tip of lemongrass. Simmer for 12 minutes, so the potatoes are nearly tender.

5. Now add the green vegetables and simmer for a further 8 minutes, until they’re al dente (and still verdant).

6. Pour the coconut milk into the saucepan. Taste and add 2-3 teaspoons of light soy sauce, depending on how salty the sauce is already. Simmer for 2-3 minutes more, then serve with plain rice. You could also serve with cook-from-frozen paratha, scrunched up like roti canai.